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The $190,000 Roger Griffiths withdrew from his account - Source: ONE News -
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A Nelson man took out almost $200,000 in $20 notes from his bank in protest because it would not give him a mortgage.
Roger Griffiths, an artist, believes it was the right thing to do, saying he has decided to take his business elsewhere.
"Unless the small person stands up against these institutions, then they're going to walk all over us," says Griffiths.
Griffiths took out $192,000 from his Westpac account after the mortgage refusal, despite being a loyal customer for 25 years.
The Nelson branch had to get the cash brought in specially.
Griffiths had applied for an $80,000 mortgage for a house he wanted to buy, but says he was refused.
"Being an artist I don't have a weekly income, but I think people should go on their track record, and have I ever let them down? No," he says.
Griffiths claims people like him are being blamed for Westpac's mistakes.
"Why should they have an ad saying they'll lend on 20% deposit. I had 80% deposit. I wasn't even asking for a big amount of money," says Griffiths.
But the bank says it had asked for certain information about Griffiths' income and a rental evaluation of the property and says it hadn't got it.
"Should the lending turn bad and the customer be put in a
difficult situation as a result of it, we will be hauled over the
coals for being irresponsible if we hadn't done what we needed to
do as bank," says Craig Dowling, Westpac Bank Media Relations
Manager.
.
Westpac has not had an easy run of late.
One mistake led to $10 million being put into the account of the couple now known as the "Accidental millionaires".
The bank is also owed a $110 million by failed company Lane Walker Rudkin.
